Louisiana State Police have arrested a Westwego man accused of selling stolen vehicles to unsuspecting buyers.

Rene Jimenez, 37, of 168 Louisiana St., was booked Monday with 18 counts of felony theft by fraud, 12 counts of forgery and three counts of possession of stolen property greater than $500, according to arrest reports and Trooper Joseph Piglia, spokesman for the State Police.

The Insurance Fraud Unit has seized 14 of 19 vehicles allegedly sold by Jimenez. His arrest is part of a multi-jurisdictional investigation involving agencies from other states as well as federal law enforcement, according to Piglia.

Jimenez is accused of participating in "car cloning." He received vehicles stolen from South Florida that had been outfitted with phony vehicle identification numbers, Piglia said. Jimenez then allegedly sold the vehicles - under their new non-stolen identities - to residents and car dealerships.

Piglia could not reveal exactly how and where Jimenez sold the vehicles. State Police opened a local investigation into cloned cars in 2007. The recovered vehicles, including brand new pick-up trucks and a Mercedes, are valued at $565,000. Piglia said investigators are still looking for five vehicles linked to Jimenez.

Anyone with information about the vehicles can contact State Police by calling 504.471.2775